<p>Whether you are a prospective transfer or have already transferred, how do you do it? How do you succeed in school while meeting the demands of parenting?
As a single mother, I have plenty of people telling me that I won't be able to do it. Although I assure myself that I will make it work somehow, I am apprehensive about how exactly I am going to make it happen.
Can anyone share their experience?</p>
<p>ps: is there a group specifically geared toward students who are parents? i am new to cc and haven't learned exactly how to navigate around here.</p>
<p>I don’t have children, but I intend on working full time and keeping a social life. I recommend you attend a large school and choose a popular major. That’s my plan! I figure if I major is PoliSci @ say UCLA I’ll be part of a large department with many classes to choose from… this means more afternoon, evening classes, and maybe even a few online classes. Also, I live and work in LA so my commute to schooland work will be short.</p>
<p>No, UCLA generally doesn’t. I haven’t seen any online classes either. With budget cuts there are NOT a large number of classes to chose from. I disagree with SMCguy about being able to keep a full-time job and being able to succeed at a school like UCLA. I don’t know anyone who has kept a full-time job, let alone a steady part-time one that wasn’t on campus. </p>
<p>You CAN make it happen though. Community college classes are easy enough to be able to juggle a job, and there are lots of evening, online, and televideo classes. I don’t have kids, so I can’t imagine the strain, but I’ve met plenty of moms who did really great in my classes. There are lots of scholarships for women in your situation too! Transferring to a UC school would provide more of a challenge, but perhaps you could attend part-time, or maybe rely on loans to cover you and your children financially while you attend school? Good luck, and ignore any crap people tell you about you not being able to make it. My boyfriend’s mom went back to school over 20 years ago after she divorced her crazy husband and he wouldn’t pay child support, and she now runs her own very financially successful landscaping business up in WA.</p>
<p>lol Sopheee I go to school full time, work full time, participate in time consuming committees, go out almost every weekend and my GPA is a 3.65. Also, I looked up the scholl schedule and there are a lot of classes that start at 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, and a few even later! I also have a friend who has 2 daughters, works part time, and goes to USC full time and she has a 3.4… We’re both 30 so maybe we’ve learned good time management, whatever the case is…I know it can be done!</p>
<p>Well, SMCguy, I will let you know what happens when I start school at UCLA in a few weeks. My time management skills are fine. The classes are no joke. And I have not seen classes later in the day. Dude, seriously, be prepared, it’s no joke once you transfer over. My major is supposedly the easiest and looking over my upcoming schedule and required reading I’m going to be extremely consumed with schoolwork the entire quarter.</p>
<p>Sopheee- What is your major? One of my closest friends graduated as a Soc major and he said it was easy…yes, it requires a lot of reading, but he said I should be fine. Please keep us updated!!</p>
<p>Although Fryer is obviously the exception, rather than the rule, I do not think it is out of the realm of possibility for a motivated student to work full-time, or raise a family, and still succeed in school. It just takes hard-work and a strong motor. </p>
<p>*It doesn’t mention it in this article, but I think in the book it says he worked full-time at a warehouse when he was in school at UT-Arlington. Regardless, he managed to work and graduate in 2 1/2 years. Also, I believe he is a testament of being able to succeed regardless of the name on your degree. He attended UT Arlington, and then got his Phd from Penn State. Not bad universities, but obviously not Ivy League.</p>
<p>**I also highly recommend the book. It is very interesting.</p>
<p>Okay, I guess it can be done, I’m just a cynic who thinks it’s better to prepare for the worst possible outcome. I’m a history major, and I’ll hopefully remember to update about my experiences when the quarter is over!</p>
<p>SeeHerFly, you can do it. It will take a lot of sacrifices but it is possible. I am a father of three and I just started at UCSD this summer. There are some evening classes, but I havent seen any online classes. Community college should be a breeze for you, they are set up to provide education to working parents. UC however is another story. They are not very friendly towards adults with kids, jobs and responsibilities. Although im sure there are those who work full time and attend a UC full time and do well, I would bet that those the majority of those students arent doing too well in school. </p>
<p>Financial aid and loans are always options, and keeping a part time job while your in school. Another option is to petition a UC to let you attend part time. They allow you to enroll part time if you have children or a full time job. It may take you longer but you would be able to do it. If I were you I’d breeze through community college taking evening and online classes. Then I would continue to work full time and go to UC part time. Ideally you’d like to be able to attend full time but part time works too if you have to keep a full time job.</p>